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John, et al, evidently there is a debate on the
overall cost versus life extending benefits of the mass CAT scanning. Here
is a leader from EPIMonitor.net:
CAT Scan Screening Poses Public Health Dilemma
Similar To That In The Mammography Debate The banner reads 1-87-R-U-AT-RISK. Get Scanned Early Detection of Cancer and Heart Disease Can Mean A Cure! The easy availability (mobile vans) and relatively low cost of CAT scanning the whole body (under $1000) are increasing the number of persons being screened, and increasing the number of lumps, tumors and cysts being detected throughout the body, according to a NY Times report today. Many of these are benign, but some are not. As a result, the vexing question of whether or not the rate of false positives is too high to justify the procedure on a mass scale is being raised. This is reminiscent of the recent debate about routine screening for breast cancer among women under 50. Where you stand on this issue may depend on where you
sit. From a public health or societal perspective, the cost to the health care
system of working up so many individuals who may be false positives is of
concern. Also, for these individuals, the pain and anxiety surrounding the
follow up tests may be considerable. On the other hand, for those individuals
who have a cancer detected early, the benefits may be life saving. Where do you
draw the line? How do you decide as an individual? How do we decide
collectively? Dean Chaney, CHP
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